“There are many ministers in the church of Christ, and there may be several pastors of one particular church: but the church has but one husband. All others are rejected and despised in comparison of Him.
He is among the sons as the apple tree among the trees of the wood. They all are barren and worthless. He only is the fruitful tree and therefore leaving all others, the church betakes herself to Him alone, and sits under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit is sweet to her taste.
She takes up her full and entire rest in Him, desiring no other. The relation between a minister and people shall be dissolved, and may be dissolved before death: but the union between Christ and His church shall never be dissolved, neither before death, nor by death, but shall endure through all eternity.
‘The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed’ but Christ’s conjugal love and ‘kindness shall not depart’ from His church ‘neither shall the covenant of his peace,’ the marriage covenant, ‘be removed’ (Isaiah 54:10).”
–Jonathan Edwards, “The Church’s Marriage To Her Sons, And To Her God,” in The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 25, Sermons and Discourses 1743-1758. Ed. Wilson H. Kimnach (WJE Online Vol. 25), 177-178.
